Uranus

Mean Distance From Sun: 2,870,972,200 kilometers (1,783,939,400 miles).
Orbital period around the Sun: 84.02 Earth years (30,687.2 Earth days)
Distinguishing features: Now revealed as a dynamic world with some of the brightest clouds in the outer solar system and 11 rings. The first planet found with the aid of a telescope, Uranus was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel. The seventh planet from the Sun is so distant that it takes 84 years to complete one orbit.

Uranus' rotation axis is nearly horizontal as though Uranus has been knocked on its side, this unusual orientation may be the result of a collision with a planet-sized body early in the planet's history, which apparently radically changed Uranus' rotation. Additionally, while magnetic fields are typically in alignment with a planet's rotation, Uranus' magnetic field is tipped over: instead of aligning along the rotational axis, the magnetic axis is tilted nearly 60 degrees from the planet's axis of rotation, and is also offset from the center of the planet by one-third of the planet's radius. Unlike the magnetic fields of Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn, which can be thought of as acting like dipole bar magnets, the fields of Uranus (and Neptune also) are very irregular. Uranus' magnetic field is about 48 times more powerful than Earth's.

Zodiac Sign Rulership: Aquarius

The Outer planets: The planets beyond Saturn:- Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, move through the signs so slowly that the sign positions of these planets refer more to the generation of which we are a part, rather than individual characteristics. It is the house position that shows where we will meet with the principles expressed by these planets in our lives. The aspects of these planets to the personal planets indicate our degree of attunement to the principles they represent.

The trans-Saturnian planets cannot be seen without the aid of a telescope. Therefore they represent powerful forces that are beyond conscious control. These planets connect us with forces and levels of reality beyond our experience as individual human beings. They do this by breaking down the boundaries of the ego (symbolised by Saturn), to allow the inflow of higher ideals and goals into our ego-centred minds. This can often mean the total disruption or destruction of our existing lives, goals, or outer and inner structures in order to make this possible.

Uranus is the first of the trans-Saturnian planets. It cannot be seen with the naked eye and was discovered in 1781 during the period of the American and French revolutions. It's discovery was made possible by the invention of the telescope, a development that has led to radical changes in our knowledge of the universe and our place in it.

In the birth chart then, Uranus represents the force for revolutionary change, the breaking from tradition, and inventiveness and experimentation. As one of the three planets that cannot be seen with the unaided eye, Uranus represents a force over which we have little or no conscious control. On an individual level, Uranus indicates our degree of independence and demand for personal freedom. If well aspected it gives us originality and an attunement to truth that goes beyond the logic of Mercury. If we refuse to express the energy of Uranus within us, preferring to cling to the traditions and limitations of Saturn, then Uranus may manifest as disruptions and sudden changes in our immediate environment, sometimes disrupting our lives completely and forcing us to make needed changes. If the energy of Uranus is expressed negatively, it can lead to wilfulness, impatience and needless rebellion, the rebel without a cause.